Dunia Catalina Mendez Vallejo | Princeton University (original) (raw)

Papers by Dunia Catalina Mendez Vallejo

Research paper thumbnail of A syntactic-prosodic analysis of focalizing “ser.”

Lingüística y Literatura, 2022

This study is the first analysis on how focalizing ser is marked prosodically, and how this compa... more This study is the first analysis on how focalizing ser is marked prosodically, and how this compares to cleft and pseudo-cleft focus structures. Data was collected from Barranquilla, Bogtá, Cali, and Medellín. Our results show that ser in FS structures can have a pre-nuclear pitch accent, unlike ser in cleft and pseudo-cleft structures. Although FS is considered a discourse marker (Curnow & Travis, 2004; Pato 2010), it still behaves like a verb in terms of syntax and prosody.

Este estudio es el primer análisis de la descripción prosódica del ser focalizador, además de su comparación con el foco hendido y pseudo-hendido. Los datos fueron recolectados de Barranquilla, Bogotá, Cali, y Medellín. Nuestros resultados muestran que el ser en el SF puede recibir un acento tonal prenuclear, a diferencia del ser en estructuras hendidas y pseudo-hendidas. Aunque el SF se considera un marcador discursivo (Curnow & Travis, 2004; Pato, 2010), mantiene rasgos sintácticos y prosódicos de un verbo.

Research paper thumbnail of Focalizing ser ('to be') in Colombian Spanish

... Learn more... ProQuest. Focalizing ser -->be') in Colombian Spanish. ... more ... Learn more... ProQuest. Focalizing ser -->be') in Colombian Spanish. by Mendez Vallejo, Dunia Catalina, Ph.D., INDIANA UNIVERSITY, 2009, 369 pages; 3386705. Abstract: ... School, INDIANA UNIVERSITY. Source, DAI/A 70-12, p. , Jan 2010. Source Type, Dissertation. ...

Research paper thumbnail of TP-internal focus and dialectal variation: the case of the Focalizing Ser

Linguistics Vanguard, 2019

This study examines patterns of variation in the perception of the Focalizing Ser (FS) structure ... more This study examines patterns of variation in the perception of the Focalizing Ser (FS) structure by speakers of Colombian Spanish. The FS occurs alongside the standard pseudo-cleft construction and it has been reported in only a few Spanish dialects. We discuss data collected from 371 participants living in five Colombian cities (Barranquilla, Bogotá, Bucaramanga, Cali, and Medellín). The results of two acceptability judgment tests (128 sentences tested in both audio and written formats) confirm that FS is an acceptable structure and indicate similar acceptability tendencies across the country: Prepositional Phrases, Complementizer/Inflectional Phrases, and Complex Verbal Phrases are the most accepted FS-focused sentence types, whereas Sentence-Final FS is the least accepted. A comparison of these results with those obtained from our previous study in the Dominican Republic [Méndez Vallejo, D. Catalina. 2015a. Changing the focus: An empirical study of “Focalizing ser” (‘to be’) in Dominican Spanish. Isogloss 1/1. 67–93.] show some analogous tendencies even across macro-varieties.

Research paper thumbnail of Ser Focalizador: variación dialectal y aceptabilidad de uso

El presente artículo discute la valoración del Ser Focalizador (SF) en tres macro-variedades del ... more El presente artículo discute la valoración del Ser Focalizador (SF) en tres macro-variedades del español: centro-oriental colombiana, dominicana y panameña-venezolana. Con el fin de brindar una perspectiva general, analizamos los resultados de dos tipos de pruebas de aceptabilidad, una dada en formato de audio y otra en formato escrito. Además de corroborar la existencia del SF en las variedades estudiadas, los datos que aquí se examinan indican cierta propensión por aceptar el uso de SF en algunos contextos (ej. para focalizar sintagmas preposicionales, progresivos, complementantes y de flexión, o en frases con había). Asimismo, se percibe una tendencia por parte de los dominicanos y los panameños por aceptar más casos de SF y con promedios de aceptabilidad más altos que los colombianos y los venezolanos.

This article discusses the way in which the Focalizing Ser (SF) is assessed in three macro-varieties of Spanish: Central-Eastern Colombian, Dominican, and Panamanian-Venezuelan. In order to provide a general perspective, we analyze the results of two types of acceptability judgments presented in aural and written formats. Specifically, the data from the acceptability judgments indicate a certain tendency to favor the use of SF in some contexts (e.g. to focalize prepositional phrases, progressive phrases, complementizer and inflectional phrases, or in sentences with había). Furthermore, it is clear that Dominicans and Panamanians accept more cases of SF and with higher acceptability averages than Colombians and Venezuelans.

Research paper thumbnail of Changing the focus: An empirical study of "Focalizing ser" (‘to be’) in Dominican Spanish

This article examines the perception and production of the Focalizing Ser (FS) structure by Domin... more This article examines the perception and production of the Focalizing Ser (FS) structure by Dominican speakers living in three urban communities: Santiago de los Caballeros, Sosúa, and Santo Domingo de Guzmán. FS has received increasing attention over the past years and several studies have investigated it from various linguistic perspectives in Spanish varieties where it is typically found (e.g. Venezuelan Spanish and Colombian Spanish). Although previously reported in Dominican Spanish (Toribio 2002, Alba 2004), FS has still not been extensively analyzed in this variety. The results of three different tests (two acceptability judgment tests and one semi-production test) indicate that FS is certainly entrenched in Dominican speakers’ linguistic inventory and that certain focus types (e.g. FS-focused subject and object DPs, FS-focused CPs and IPs, FS- focused complex VPs, and FS-focused prepositional phrases) are more favorably perceived and more frequently produced across all FS dialects.

Research paper thumbnail of Syntactic variation in Colombian Spanish

Romance Linguistics 2009: Selected Papers from the 39th LSRL, Jan 1, 2010

... 172 Dunia Catalina Méndez Vallejo The goal of ser becomes a subject: LO QUE ÉL NECESITA es de... more ... 172 Dunia Catalina Méndez Vallejo The goal of ser becomes a subject: LO QUE ÉL NECESITA es descansar “What he needs is to rest” The relative ... That he needs is to rest” Que is omitted: El necesita es descansar “He needs is to rest”[Albor 1986: 184] Sedano (2003a, 2003b ...

Research paper thumbnail of Algunas consideraciones sintácticas acerca del “Ser Focalizador” en el español colombiano

Ser Focalizador_Revista S

Las construcciones pseudo-hendidas se utilizan frecuentemente en español para focalizar ciertos e... more Las construcciones pseudo-hendidas se utilizan frecuentemente en español para focalizar ciertos elementos dentro de una oración. La frase en (1), por ejemplo, puede convertirse en una cláusula pseudo-hendida como en (2), en la cual el objeto directo es el elemento focalizado, está en mando-c por parte del verbo copulativo fue, y muestra alcance reducido:

Research paper thumbnail of The M word: Face and politeness in Colombian Spanish

Research paper thumbnail of Conversational and Prosodic Patterns in Spanish Requests

This study analyzes the manifestations of autonomy and affiliation (cf. Bravo 2004) in the perfor... more This study analyzes the manifestations of autonomy and affiliation (cf. Bravo 2004) in the performance of requests among young Colombian women in comparable situations, presented in a symmetrical system (-Power), and with various degrees of social distance (+/-Distance). The data were examined quantitatively and qualitatively, and the role of linguistic and non-linguistic (i.e. prosodic) devices of mitigation was closely examined in relation to politeness and face. The results show that, in terms of frequency, Conventionally Indirect requests constitute the most common strategy in this variety, followed by Direct requests, and Non-conventionally indirect requests. Internal and external modification in requests is also found to be significant in all conversations (downgraders, expressions of solidarity, intensifiers). Also, specific prosodic patterns are found in certain types of segments within the interactions, which suggest a direct relation between prosody and politeness in the realization of requests. The results of the study indicate that young Bucaramanga female speakers tend to manifest cooperation and camaraderie when involved in -Distance situations, and respect and deference when involved in + Distance situations. In this sense, some components of face seem to reflect the socio-cultural background of this community in Bucaramanga, Colombia.

Research paper thumbnail of Periphrastic and morphological future forms in Bogotá Spanish: A preliminary sociolinguistic study of upper class speakers1

Working papers_IULCWP

The use of periphrastic (voy a estudiar 'I'm going to study') and morphological (estudiaré '

Books by Dunia Catalina Mendez Vallejo

Research paper thumbnail of New Directions in Hispanic Linguistics

Research paper thumbnail of Colombian Varieties of Spanish

Research paper thumbnail of Focalizing Ser ('to be') in Colombian Spanish. An empirical study of a dialectally-marked syntactic phenomenon in Spanish

Núm. 81 (43): ENERO-JUNIO, 2022 by Dunia Catalina Mendez Vallejo

Research paper thumbnail of A SYNTACTIC-PROSODIC ANALYSIS OF FOCALIZING SER

Lingüística y Literatura, 2022

This study is the first analysis on how focalizing ser is marked prosodically, and how this compa... more This study is the first analysis on how focalizing ser is marked prosodically, and how this compares to cleft and pseudo-cleft focus structures. Data was collected from Barranquilla, Bogotá, Cali, and Medellín. Our results show that ser in FS structures can have a pre-nuclear pitch accent, unlike ser in cleft and pseudo-cleft structures. Although FS is considered a discourse marker (Curnow & Travis, 2004; Pato 2010), it still behaves like a verb in terms of syntax and prosody.

Research paper thumbnail of A syntactic-prosodic analysis of focalizing “ser.”

Lingüística y Literatura, 2022

This study is the first analysis on how focalizing ser is marked prosodically, and how this compa... more This study is the first analysis on how focalizing ser is marked prosodically, and how this compares to cleft and pseudo-cleft focus structures. Data was collected from Barranquilla, Bogtá, Cali, and Medellín. Our results show that ser in FS structures can have a pre-nuclear pitch accent, unlike ser in cleft and pseudo-cleft structures. Although FS is considered a discourse marker (Curnow & Travis, 2004; Pato 2010), it still behaves like a verb in terms of syntax and prosody.

Este estudio es el primer análisis de la descripción prosódica del ser focalizador, además de su comparación con el foco hendido y pseudo-hendido. Los datos fueron recolectados de Barranquilla, Bogotá, Cali, y Medellín. Nuestros resultados muestran que el ser en el SF puede recibir un acento tonal prenuclear, a diferencia del ser en estructuras hendidas y pseudo-hendidas. Aunque el SF se considera un marcador discursivo (Curnow & Travis, 2004; Pato, 2010), mantiene rasgos sintácticos y prosódicos de un verbo.

Research paper thumbnail of Focalizing ser ('to be') in Colombian Spanish

... Learn more... ProQuest. Focalizing ser -->be') in Colombian Spanish. ... more ... Learn more... ProQuest. Focalizing ser -->be') in Colombian Spanish. by Mendez Vallejo, Dunia Catalina, Ph.D., INDIANA UNIVERSITY, 2009, 369 pages; 3386705. Abstract: ... School, INDIANA UNIVERSITY. Source, DAI/A 70-12, p. , Jan 2010. Source Type, Dissertation. ...

Research paper thumbnail of TP-internal focus and dialectal variation: the case of the Focalizing Ser

Linguistics Vanguard, 2019

This study examines patterns of variation in the perception of the Focalizing Ser (FS) structure ... more This study examines patterns of variation in the perception of the Focalizing Ser (FS) structure by speakers of Colombian Spanish. The FS occurs alongside the standard pseudo-cleft construction and it has been reported in only a few Spanish dialects. We discuss data collected from 371 participants living in five Colombian cities (Barranquilla, Bogotá, Bucaramanga, Cali, and Medellín). The results of two acceptability judgment tests (128 sentences tested in both audio and written formats) confirm that FS is an acceptable structure and indicate similar acceptability tendencies across the country: Prepositional Phrases, Complementizer/Inflectional Phrases, and Complex Verbal Phrases are the most accepted FS-focused sentence types, whereas Sentence-Final FS is the least accepted. A comparison of these results with those obtained from our previous study in the Dominican Republic [Méndez Vallejo, D. Catalina. 2015a. Changing the focus: An empirical study of “Focalizing ser” (‘to be’) in Dominican Spanish. Isogloss 1/1. 67–93.] show some analogous tendencies even across macro-varieties.

Research paper thumbnail of Ser Focalizador: variación dialectal y aceptabilidad de uso

El presente artículo discute la valoración del Ser Focalizador (SF) en tres macro-variedades del ... more El presente artículo discute la valoración del Ser Focalizador (SF) en tres macro-variedades del español: centro-oriental colombiana, dominicana y panameña-venezolana. Con el fin de brindar una perspectiva general, analizamos los resultados de dos tipos de pruebas de aceptabilidad, una dada en formato de audio y otra en formato escrito. Además de corroborar la existencia del SF en las variedades estudiadas, los datos que aquí se examinan indican cierta propensión por aceptar el uso de SF en algunos contextos (ej. para focalizar sintagmas preposicionales, progresivos, complementantes y de flexión, o en frases con había). Asimismo, se percibe una tendencia por parte de los dominicanos y los panameños por aceptar más casos de SF y con promedios de aceptabilidad más altos que los colombianos y los venezolanos.

This article discusses the way in which the Focalizing Ser (SF) is assessed in three macro-varieties of Spanish: Central-Eastern Colombian, Dominican, and Panamanian-Venezuelan. In order to provide a general perspective, we analyze the results of two types of acceptability judgments presented in aural and written formats. Specifically, the data from the acceptability judgments indicate a certain tendency to favor the use of SF in some contexts (e.g. to focalize prepositional phrases, progressive phrases, complementizer and inflectional phrases, or in sentences with había). Furthermore, it is clear that Dominicans and Panamanians accept more cases of SF and with higher acceptability averages than Colombians and Venezuelans.

Research paper thumbnail of Changing the focus: An empirical study of "Focalizing ser" (‘to be’) in Dominican Spanish

This article examines the perception and production of the Focalizing Ser (FS) structure by Domin... more This article examines the perception and production of the Focalizing Ser (FS) structure by Dominican speakers living in three urban communities: Santiago de los Caballeros, Sosúa, and Santo Domingo de Guzmán. FS has received increasing attention over the past years and several studies have investigated it from various linguistic perspectives in Spanish varieties where it is typically found (e.g. Venezuelan Spanish and Colombian Spanish). Although previously reported in Dominican Spanish (Toribio 2002, Alba 2004), FS has still not been extensively analyzed in this variety. The results of three different tests (two acceptability judgment tests and one semi-production test) indicate that FS is certainly entrenched in Dominican speakers’ linguistic inventory and that certain focus types (e.g. FS-focused subject and object DPs, FS-focused CPs and IPs, FS- focused complex VPs, and FS-focused prepositional phrases) are more favorably perceived and more frequently produced across all FS dialects.

Research paper thumbnail of Syntactic variation in Colombian Spanish

Romance Linguistics 2009: Selected Papers from the 39th LSRL, Jan 1, 2010

... 172 Dunia Catalina Méndez Vallejo The goal of ser becomes a subject: LO QUE ÉL NECESITA es de... more ... 172 Dunia Catalina Méndez Vallejo The goal of ser becomes a subject: LO QUE ÉL NECESITA es descansar “What he needs is to rest” The relative ... That he needs is to rest” Que is omitted: El necesita es descansar “He needs is to rest”[Albor 1986: 184] Sedano (2003a, 2003b ...

Research paper thumbnail of Algunas consideraciones sintácticas acerca del “Ser Focalizador” en el español colombiano

Ser Focalizador_Revista S

Las construcciones pseudo-hendidas se utilizan frecuentemente en español para focalizar ciertos e... more Las construcciones pseudo-hendidas se utilizan frecuentemente en español para focalizar ciertos elementos dentro de una oración. La frase en (1), por ejemplo, puede convertirse en una cláusula pseudo-hendida como en (2), en la cual el objeto directo es el elemento focalizado, está en mando-c por parte del verbo copulativo fue, y muestra alcance reducido:

Research paper thumbnail of The M word: Face and politeness in Colombian Spanish

Research paper thumbnail of Conversational and Prosodic Patterns in Spanish Requests

This study analyzes the manifestations of autonomy and affiliation (cf. Bravo 2004) in the perfor... more This study analyzes the manifestations of autonomy and affiliation (cf. Bravo 2004) in the performance of requests among young Colombian women in comparable situations, presented in a symmetrical system (-Power), and with various degrees of social distance (+/-Distance). The data were examined quantitatively and qualitatively, and the role of linguistic and non-linguistic (i.e. prosodic) devices of mitigation was closely examined in relation to politeness and face. The results show that, in terms of frequency, Conventionally Indirect requests constitute the most common strategy in this variety, followed by Direct requests, and Non-conventionally indirect requests. Internal and external modification in requests is also found to be significant in all conversations (downgraders, expressions of solidarity, intensifiers). Also, specific prosodic patterns are found in certain types of segments within the interactions, which suggest a direct relation between prosody and politeness in the realization of requests. The results of the study indicate that young Bucaramanga female speakers tend to manifest cooperation and camaraderie when involved in -Distance situations, and respect and deference when involved in + Distance situations. In this sense, some components of face seem to reflect the socio-cultural background of this community in Bucaramanga, Colombia.

Research paper thumbnail of Periphrastic and morphological future forms in Bogotá Spanish: A preliminary sociolinguistic study of upper class speakers1

Working papers_IULCWP

The use of periphrastic (voy a estudiar 'I'm going to study') and morphological (estudiaré '

Research paper thumbnail of A SYNTACTIC-PROSODIC ANALYSIS OF FOCALIZING SER

Lingüística y Literatura, 2022

This study is the first analysis on how focalizing ser is marked prosodically, and how this compa... more This study is the first analysis on how focalizing ser is marked prosodically, and how this compares to cleft and pseudo-cleft focus structures. Data was collected from Barranquilla, Bogotá, Cali, and Medellín. Our results show that ser in FS structures can have a pre-nuclear pitch accent, unlike ser in cleft and pseudo-cleft structures. Although FS is considered a discourse marker (Curnow & Travis, 2004; Pato 2010), it still behaves like a verb in terms of syntax and prosody.